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A client’s cooperation can have a huge impact on the end result of a treatment and often speeds up how quickly we can reach our end goal. Today I’d like to go over some very important steps a homeowner or business can take as they approach an upcoming pest control treatment.

Preparation for a Toronto pest control service can be more important for some pests than others. Take wasps and hornets, for example, you can’t do much more as a homeowner than to point at the big scary nest and then take cover inside until it’s safe to come out. Actually, you probably don’t even need to do that as we will find the nest on your property regardless. In contrast, dealing with cockroaches, rodents, and some ant species often requires integrated pest management and the customer is aligning their behaviours with the overall goal – a pest-free environment. While GreenLeaf does provide every customer with a detailed prep sheet prior to treatment, I’ll highlight some aspects I’ve noted and what stands out to me specifically for these important and common pests below.

Cockroaches

If you are battling cockroaches in your home or business there’s a good chance they are German Cockroaches as those are generally the most common and successful cockroach species. They have a huge reproductive potential and are particularly difficult to deal with in multi-unit dwellings. Ideally, when entering a kitchen, for example, the technician is hoping the client has removed all items from the cabinets and drawers. Very important to remember: rather than quickly throwing everything in a bag make sure to take the time to individually check that the items you are removing do not have cockroaches living inside them. Removing cardboard is a great decision as cockroaches will often live in between the layers of a piece of corrugated cardboard – this is also often how they are introduced to new environments via food deliveries! The reason the technician asks that items are cleared out of the kitchen is so that they can get to all of the cracks and crevices under the counter, behind appliances, indoor hinges, and many many more as in my experience I have found that extremely thorough treatment is the absolute key to cockroach elimination.

Rodents

Mice and rats may be cute in the movies, and honestly maybe even in real life, but their impact on public health has to be a top priority when thinking of your home or business. One of the first steps you want to take when dealing with a rodent infestation is to take note of the structural conditions the mouse control technician discusses with you. They will often seal up small entry points but a customer may need to hire a contractor depending on the issue. A door sweep may need to be installed, concrete may be needed to patch up holes, or full renovations may be needed to exclude rodents long term. Following through on these recommendations by the technician will go a long way. Next, keep in mind what rodents need to survive. Yes, they are in your home partly because it is warm and provides perfect shelter, but they also need food and water. Rats in particular need quite a lot of water. So by removing accessible water and food (whether that’s crumbs from kids, dog kibble left out overnight, or spilled water from doing dishes) you are creating a stressful environment for them rather than helping them thrive. Additionally, the lack of food and water available will cause the bait used by the technician to be endlessly more attractive than if they had a buffet of spilled organics.

Ants

Some ants are easier to treat and more of a seasonal pest whereas others are more likely to torment you year-round. Pharaoh ants have been discussed in past blog posts so you may already be familiar with them. Sanitation and food competition (as noted in the rodent section) is also very key for ants – especially pharaoh ants. A Toronto ant control technician has to be very careful with what chemicals are used as many products will repel the ants causing them to spread and “bud” into separate colonies and as a result, bait becomes their main tool for control. Since a technician is so reliant on the use of bait, customers need to ensure they are keeping things clean to reduce food competition. Also how you clean has to be considered, as mentioned above repellants can have a negative effect so using harsh chemicals to clean or to try to kill the ants will be detrimental. Simple soap and water are often best as opposed to bleach for example.

If Greenleaf were Santa, following the above tips would put you as a customer on our nice list. This Greenleaf Santa doesn’t want milk and cookies left out on the counter though, no food competition! Keep in mind that while the technician has the experience to provide the solution, the other half of the battle is what is done when we’re not there. I find that the best client relationships are those where we can work together in meaningful ways with the same goal in mind – and that’s providing effective pest control and keeping the homes and businesses in our communities safe, clean, and thriving. Happy Holidays and talk to you again in 2022!

About the Author: Luka Zimmer is the Field Services Manager at GreenLeaf Pest Control and spends his days serving the community on a variety of pest issues. He finds that a rigorous and detailed approach is the key to solving pest issues that trouble people most. Like Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog when he clocks out of work he sometimes likes to befriend the very animals, he dedicates his week to fighting.